Supplying the University

How does the University select suppliers?

The University chooses its suppliers through competitive tendering (or quotations at lower values) when it needs to fulfill a requirement (for goods, services or works). There are no ‘approved lists’, only contracts, framework agreements or similar arrangements.

All major contracting opportunities (contracts valued over the current EU threshold excluding VAT) are formally published in OJEU. Lower-value requirements (from £50,000 to EU threshold excluding VAT) are typically advertised on the Government's Contracts Finder website.

Terms and conditions:

New e-tendering system:

With effect from 1st January 2017 the University will be using a new e-tendering portal called Complete Tender Management (CTM).

If you wish to participate in future University tender opportunities you will need to register on the CTM portal. Supplier details held in the University’s In-Tend system have not been transferred across to CTM.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: To prevent duplication, before registering on CTM, please check if your company is already registered by simply clicking on the link below and typing in your company name: https://uk.eu-supply.com/ctm/Company/Search

All tender projects started before 1st January 2017, will remain on In-Tend until such time as the tender process has been completed and a contract awarded.

Should you experience any difficulty in accessing the new portal or have any queries please contact us via procurement@exeter.ac.uk

How to ensure a purchase order and quotation request is authentic?

Deliveries are normally requested to one of the 3 University campuses (Streatham Campus in Exeter, St Luke’s Campus in Exeter, or our Penryn campus in Cornwall) or associated location which you have previously delivered to.

All University purchase order 'numbers' use a standard format of 3 letters followed by numerals. Each PO 'number' is unique and must be used for all correspondence.

If you have any queries regarding the above or if you have any concerns about a purchase order or request for quotation you have received please contact procurement@exeter.ac.uk

How to become a supplier to the University?

Find opportunities in OJEU or Contracts finder, and follow the instructions.

Find opportunities (generally over £25,000) in CTM (the University's e-tendering portal), and follow the instructions.

Register on our CTM system, and choose the best business categories that fit your area of interest. The system will automatically notify you when tender opportunities are published that match your business categories.

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)

Is your company classed as a SME, as defined by the EU's definition [EU recommendations 2003/361]?

The main factors determining whether an enterprise is a SME are staff headcount and either turnover or balance sheet total, as below:

SME Category

Staff Headcount

Turnover

Or

Balance Sheet Total

Medium sized

< 250

≤ €50M

≤ €43M

Small sized

< 50

≤ €10M

≤ €10M

Micro sized

< 10

≤ €2M

≤ €2M

Framework agreements

The University uses several framework agreements from organisations such as:

Framework agreements are arrangements that have already undergone a full tender process from which eligible users can either directly purchase or call-off goods, services and the like. If you are interested in tendering for framework agreements not run by the University, you can contact the category managers through the above links.

Invoicing the University

Invoices must be addressed to the University of Exeter and not to named individuals. Do not send copy invoices unless requested by the Accounts Payable department.

E-mail your invoice (if PDF, MS Word or TIFF format) to invoices@exeter.ac.uk. This is the fastest way to get it processed and paid. Otherwise, post your invoices to: